Facing the Facebook Problem With Eyes Wide Open

While on vacation this year in Horseshe Bay, Texas I discovered that even from a hidden resort area surrounded by humminbirds, parrots and wavefunners I could still hear the stupidity of Missouri lawmakers, even at this distance away.

The headline I saw in the Quincy Herald-Whig read like this:

"Missouri has been in national headlines this week for enacting a new law that aims to put the kibosh on inappropriate teacher-student online relationships. Under the new law, those two groups can no longer be friends or otherwise communicate directly on Facebook."

According to the article, Section 162.069 of the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, states:

"By January 1, 2012, every school district must develop a written policy concerning teacher-student communication and employee-student communications. Each policy must include appropriate oral and nonverbal personal communication, which may be combined with sexual harassment policies, and appropriate use of electronic media as described in the act, including social networking sites. Teachers cannot establish, maintain, or use a work-related website unless it is available to school administrators and the child’s legal custodian, physical custodian, or legal guardian. Teachers also cannot have a nonwork-related website that allows exclusive access with a current or former student. Former student is defined as any person who was at one time a student at the school at which the teacher is employed and who is eighteen years of age or less and who has not graduated."

For the most part this sounds like a reasonable idea. After all, I don't want my 17 and 12 year old daughters being friends with  teachers on Facebook.  Not all teachers are a concern, but some are down right creepy.  Plus I don't want my kids seeing pictures of teachers from the previous year's holiday party.  Teacher are notorious for being party animals, not to mention terrible dancers. 

But what if a teacher has children that attend the school she teaches at?  Does this new law mean my wife has to unfriend her own children from her Facebook account just because they used to attend her school?

I like being on my daughter's friends list.  That way I have just one more way to spy on them and make sure they are not embarassing themselves or the family in public.  Plus I get to check out the types of people they are hanging with. 

I could understand a law that said, "If you're using a school owned computer or a computer on school property, you cannot do such...and...such..."  It's their property and they have every right to dictate terms of use.

And parents of minors have the right to say, "I want access to that account so that I can monitor from time to time the safety of my child."  That's their job!

But you don't have the right to make my daughter remove Aunt Nancy (a teacher) from Facebook.